The idea of compile a book of dua (supplication) developed in the summer
of 1977 in the course of my participation in the Imam Training Programs.

It was then that several brothers and sisters expressed the wish that the dua which they were learning orally might well be published in a booklet to be made available
to all who wished to recite, and benefit from them.

How was it compiled

Chapter 1 was compiled following a review of the Qur'an and taking note of the versus (ayat) or its portions which constitute dua. These were then studied and classified under their main subject headings.

The remaining dua in chapters 2,3 and 4 were selected and compiled from Hasan Al-Banna's Al-Mathoorat, an excellent collection of dua.
The order of some dua in Chapters 3 and 4 differ slightly from that in Al-Mathoorat.

A word about the footnotes... Each note indicates the source of the dua and in some cases gives a brief comment on it. The number of each note refers to the serial number of the dua in the text.

Br. Anwar Beg, Editor of Publications in the ITC has been very helpful in editing this work and in other related matters.

To Sister Sherena El-Fayoumy goes the credit of accurate and difficult typing especially in the transliterations.

Jamal Badawi, 1979.

Introduction

Meaning of Thikr ( Remembrance of Allah )

Thikr literally means remembrance. As used in this booklet, it refers to the remembrance of Allah, (S.W.T.= Glory be to Him), The Qur'an refers to itself
as thikr.

We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).

'In(na)naa nah.nu nazzalnaa az zikr wa 'in(na)naa lahu la h.aafiz.uun

As the word of Allah ( S.W.T. ), it helps us remember Him in all our thoughts and deeds.

Thikr at all times:

Each human being pursues an ultimate and fundemantal goal in life. This goal constitutes one's ideal, the focal point of one's thoughts, aspirations, and activities. The loftier and nobler this goal is, the more sublime are the thoughts and deeds emanating from it.

The basic message of Islam is to elevate the soul, to purify and uplift it to the highest possible plain. This cannot be accomplished unless Allah (S.W.T.) is our Ultimate Goal and the focus of our life.

There is no wonder then that the Prophet (S.A.W. = May Allah's Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) used to engage in thikr at all times.

Following the Prophet's example, thikr should be part of daily life. Thikr is not
only limited to words; it includes also meditation, reflection, repentance, seeking lawful provisions and, generally, every lawful act during which the presence of Allah (S.W.T.) is felt.

For Muslim men and women,- for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and wom

In a Qudsi Hadeeth, the Prophet ( S.A.W. ) reported that Allah ( S.W.T.) said: " I ( will ) respond according to ) what My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. So, if he remembers Me in secret, I will remember him in secret and if he remembers Me in a group, I will remember him in a better group." - Al Bukhari, Muslim.

And do thou (O reader!) Bring thy Lord to remembrance in thy (very) soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in words, in the mornings and evenings; and be not thou of those who are unheedful.

By observing these rules, the person will feel happiness in heart, light in soul and blessings of Allah. ( S.W.T. )

Thikr in a group

Thikr is permissible in groups. Indeed, it is encouraged in some ahadeeth.
-ahadeeth : sayings of the Prophet (S.A.W.)

The following is an example:

The Prophet ( S.A.W. ) said: "If a group of people sit together remembering Allah ( i.e. engaging in thikr ), the angels will circle them, the mercy will shroud them, the peace will descend them and Allah will remember them among those with Him." -Muslim.

Indeed thikr in a group may help teach those who do not know the desired dua and bring Muslims' hearts together and strengthen their noble ties.

We gave strength to their hearts: Behold, they stood up and said: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and of the earth: never shall we call upon any god other than Him: if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity!

Said Jesus the son of Mary: "O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set (with viands), that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a solemn festival and a sign from thee; and provide for our sustenance, for thou art the best

Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah. (High is He) above

Yet they make the Jinns equals with Allah, though Allah did create the Jinns; and they falsely, having no knowledge, attribute to Him sons and daughters. Praise and glory be to Him! (for He is) above what they attribute to Him!

O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so belie

Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to cr

Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil o'er the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the m

Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Th

It is Allah Who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape- and made your shapes beautiful,- and has provided for you Sustenance, of things pure and good;- such is Allah your Lord. So Glory to All

So if they dispute with thee, say: "I have submitted My whole self to Allah and so have those who follow me." And say to the People of the Book and to those who are unlearned: "Do ye (also) submit yourselves?" If they do, they are in right guidance,

On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that wh

And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brethren who came before us into the Faith, and leave not, in our hearts, rancour (or sense of injury) against those who have believed. Our Lord! Thou art indeed Full of Kindness, Mos

When Moses came to the place appointed by Us, and his Lord addressed him, He said: "O my Lord! show (Thyself) to me, that I may look upon thee." Allah said: "By no means canst thou see Me (direct); But look upon the mount; if it abide in its place,

The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostl

"But thou dost wreak thy vengeance on us simply because we believed in the Signs of our Lord when they reached us! Our Lord! pour out on us patience and constancy, and take our souls unto thee as Muslims (who bow to thy will)!

"No reason have we why we should not put our trust on Allah. Indeed He Has guided us to the Ways we (follow). We shall certainly bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us. For those who put their trust should put their trust on Allah."

He said: "Shall I trust you with him with any result other than when I trusted you with his brother aforetime? But Allah is the best to take care (of him), and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!"

"O my Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on me some power, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams and events,- O Thou Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Take Thou my soul (a

Said one who had knowledge of the Book: "I will bring it to thee within the twinkling of an eye!" Then when (Solomon) saw it placed firmly before him, he said: "This is by the Grace of my Lord!- to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! and if

And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury;- beneath them will be rivers flowing;- and they shall say: "Praise be to Allah, who hath guided us to this (felicity): never could we have found guidance, had it not been for the guid

"Our Lord! make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (will); and show us our place for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and

And when there came to them an apostle from Allah, confirming what was with them, a party of the people of the Book threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs, as if (it had been something) they did not know!

"And ordain for us that which is good, in this life and in the Hereafter: for we have turned unto Thee." He said: "With My punishment I visit whom I will; but My mercy extendeth to all things. That (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and

"We should indeed invent a lie against Allah, if we returned to your ways after Allah hath rescued us therefrom; nor could we by any manner of means return thereto unless it be as in the will and plan of Allah, Our Lord. Our Lord can reach out to the

Those who sustain the Throne (of Allah. and those around it Sing Glory and Praise to their Lord; believe in Him; and implore Forgiveness for those who believe: "Our Lord! Thy Reach is over all things, in Mercy and Knowledge. Forgive, then, those who

"And grant, our Lord! that they enter the Gardens of Eternity, which Thou hast promised to them, and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their posterity! For Thou art (He), the Exalted in Might, Full of Wisdom.

We rose up with innate nature of Islam, and with the word
of purity, and on the way of life of our Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W.) , and on the way of
life of our father Ibrahim, the upright (in truth) who was not of the associators of other
deities with Allah.

0 Allah! I rose up in the morning with blessings,
strength, and concealment -of my deficiencies-; So complete all the blessings and strength
and the concealment for me in this life and in the hereafter.

Glory be to Allah and grace is His ( as great as) the
number of His creatures, the extent of His satisfaction, the weight of his domain, and the
ink ( needed to write down His countless ) signs ( of presence, ominipotence, and grace )

Peace be upon you dwellers
of these abodes, believers and Muslims. May Allah have mercy on those of you who were
first ( to die ) and those who were last. We will, whenever Allah wills, join you. I beg
of Allah salvation for us and for you. You preceded us and we will follow you.

0 Allah! Deprive us not from reward ( similar to theirs ) and lead us not astray after
they are gone.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Universe. May Allah's
peace and blessings be upon Muhammad ( S.A.W).

There is no deity but Allah, Most Forebearing, Supreme in Honor.

Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Great Throne.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Universe. 0 Allah! I seek of You the means of (deserving) Your mercy, the means of (ascertaining) Your forgiveness, the protection from all mistakes, the benefit from all virtue and the freedom from all sins.

0 Allah! Leave no mistake of mine without Your forgiveness, nor any stress without Your
relief, nor any need of which You approve without being fulfilled by You, 0 Most Merciful
of the merciful.

After reciting this dua, one should state the specific need for the dua was made.

O Allah! I seek your refuge (in making a choice) by
virtue of Your knowledge , and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask you of
Your great bounty. You have power, I have none.

And You know, I know not.

You are the Knower of hidden things.

0 Allah! If in Your knowledge, ( this matter ) is good for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs; immediate and in the distant, then ordain for me, make it easy for me and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge, ( this matter ) is bad for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs; immediate and in the distant, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And ordain for me the good wherever it be and make me pleased with it.

Notes:
- * - The above supplication is to be recited when there is uncertainty about the advisability

of taking a decision, provided it is islamically permissible.

- * - After performing ablution, one should offer two rakahs.
- * - Before reciting the dua, it should be made sure that the person is not already inclined to a given decision; otherwise it will mean that the person is not serious about seeking guidance of Allah (S.W.T.)

- * - In making this dua the actual matter or decision concerning which divine guidance is being sought should be mentioned instead of the words in transliteration or the words "this matter' in the translation above.

- * - After reciting the dua (immediately or later on) , one may feel more favorably disposed toward one choice or the other.

All Praise is due to You, 0 Allah! You are the Sustainer
of the heavens and the earth and whatever is in them.
Praise be to you; Yours is the domain of the heavens and the earth whatever is in them.
Praise be to You;

You are the Truth.

Your promise is true, meeting with You is true, Your word is true, Paradise is true,
hell is true, Prophets are true, Mohammed ( S.A.W. ) is true, the Hour ( of Judgement ) is
true.

0 Allah! Unto You do I submit, in You do I believe, upon You do I depend, unto You do I
turn.

For You do I contend; Unto You do I seek judgement.

So forgive me for what I did and will do, for what I concealed and what I declared, and
for that of which You are more knowledgeable than me. You are the expediter and You are
the deferrer.

There is no deity but You. And there is no ability or power except by the leave of
Allah.